788,400 Minutes....

...788,400 moments so dear. 788,400 minutes. How do you measure, measure 18 months? In diapers, in bottles, in laughter, in bowls of oatmeal. In inches, in kisses, in play time, in love. 788,400 minutes. How do you measure 18 months of life? (If you are familiar with the theme song to "Rent", then you get the beginning of this post. If you are unfamiliar with the theme song to "Rent", you're not missing much.)

I know it sounds cliché, but I really can't believe Ava is 18 months old today. She has been more of a blessing to us than we could have ever imagined. Matt and I smile from ear to ear when we are playing with Ava, talking about Ava, looking at pictures of Ava... Anything involving our daughter and our hearts melt.

Ava went to the doctor this morning for her 18 month check up. Praise God she is healthy and developing right on track. Here are a few highlights from her appointment.

• Weight: 25 pounds, 10 ounces (75 %tile)
• Height: 34 inches (98 %tile)
• Quotes from the doctor:
• "If looks could kill, I'd be dead as a doornail!" (In reference to the look Ava gave him when he walked in the room.)
• "Girl, you've got some feet!" (Confirming that Ava has ridiculously large feet and that my worst nightmare is coming true... Ava is going to follow in my huge footsteps. Literally.)
• "She is sharp as a tack." (Letting me know that our little stinker is a smart cookie!)
• Ava had to get 2 shots today, one in each thigh. The nurse forcefully held down her legs while I forcefully held down her arms (worst feeling ever). After 2 quick pricks, Ava was visibly angry... not upset. Angry. She did not cry, but she did let out a big grunt, letting me know she was not pleased. In an attempt to get her mind off of what had just happened, I pointed to the band-aids on her legs and said, "Ava, what is that?" (Each band-aid was covered with pictures of Garfield the cat. And, I must ask... is that cartoon even on TV anymore?) Now normally, Ava's response to the picture of a cat is a sweet, subtle, "mow" (rhymes with now). Not today. Ava stood up on the examination table, wrapped her arms around my neck and let out a loud and very angry, "MOW!" It was as if she was trying to say, "Fine! I'll tell you what a cat says, but I'm not happy about it!"

Shortly after Ava's check-up, Matt and I took her to our favorite place for lunch. Tokyo Express. As much as we love their food, nothing on the menu could have compared to the surprise we brought along for Ava. A cupcake! Cupcakes are necessary for a year and a half birthday celebration, right? Ava looked at the cupcake for about 2 seconds...

And then she crammed it in her mouth...

And up her nose...

And all over her shirt...

And, yeah. I believe she enjoyed it.

After Ava's nap and dinner, Matt and I got out our bikes (and bike trailer), went for a ride and ended up at the park. Ava loved watching all of the big kids run around and she was even inspired enough to go down the slide sitting up by herself (in the past, she has always gone down the slide on her back).

You wouldn't be able to tell by her face in the next picture, but Ava had fun doing her favorite thing... swinging.

She climbed through tunnels.

And posed for pictures.

When play time was over, Ava hopped back in her 'ide' (ride) with her drink and snack in hand. We had such a wonderful, yet very simple day celebrating the first 788,400 minutes of Ava's life.